Tangut character 𗰴

It is a Tangut character; its Unicode label is not a translation.

The Unicode label Tangut Ideograph-17C34 identifies the encoded sign. A scholarly Tangut dictionary lists the reconstructed reading gu¹ (roughly “gu”), an estimate of the old sound rather than an English gloss. The word’s sense comes from its dictionary entry or the surrounding sentence.

Why does 𗰴 look Chinese?

Tangut is a distinct script with a Chinese-like visual style.

Tangut characters resemble Chinese ideographs, but the scripts are distinct. The Western Xia state used Tangut as its own script, and neighboring Khitan script-making offered a regional model. These are connections between writing traditions, not evidence that 𗰴 itself is Chinese or Khitan.

The Tangut script was created under Western Xia’s first emperor around 1036 CE for state-building and especially a Tangut Buddhist canon, a large collection of Buddhist texts. Surviving material includes official, private, and religious books, sutras, inscriptions, and manuscripts. A Khara-Khoto fragment probably dates to the 12th or early 13th century; Tangut remained in use during the Yuan and Ming before becoming obsolete by the end of the Ming dynasty.

How do I type 𗰴?

Use Unicode hex input with the code point U+17C34.

Tangut has no combining characters, so strokes or combining marks will not build this sign; it is encoded as one character. Use an editor or input method that accepts Unicode code points.

If a box appears, the active font may lack Tangut coverage. Choose a Tangut-capable font such as Noto Serif Tangut; the font changes the drawing while the encoded character stays the same.